How to Get a Fire Risk Assessment for Your Airbnb or Holiday Cottage

Most Airbnb hosts who look into fire risk assessments have the same experience. They Google it, find something about professional assessors, assume it means a £300 visit and a week's wait, and file it under "sort later." The problem is that "later" now has a hard deadline. England's short-term let (STL) registration scheme opened in January 2026, and a documented fire risk assessment is a condition of being able to register your property legally. No assessment, no registration. No registration, no letting.

Here's what most hosts don't realise: for a small holiday let, getting a proper fire risk assessment does not require a professional assessor. It costs £45 and you can do it yourself today. Let me walk you through the options.

Why you need a fire risk assessment

When you charge guests to stay in your property, you become the "responsible person" under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 — the main fire safety law in England. The domestic premises exemption (which covers your own home) does not apply to paying guest accommodation. The moment money changes hands, the law treats your property as business premises, and a documented fire risk assessment is a legal requirement.

The honest answer on what this involves: the assessment does not need to be complicated. For a small cottage or flat with up to six guests, what the law requires is a written record showing you've identified the fire hazards, assessed the risks to guests, and put appropriate precautions in place. That's it. You do not need to hire a specialist to produce that document on your behalf.

The three routes

1. Hire a professional on-site assessor

A qualified fire risk assessor visits your property, carries out a physical inspection, and produces the written assessment for you. For a small holiday let, expect to pay around £300. Larger or more complex properties cost more.

Professional assessors should be registered with a recognised competency scheme — BAFE, the Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE), or equivalent. When you hire one, ask for their registration details before booking.

This route makes sense in specific situations: properties that sleep more than six guests, buildings with complex layouts or older construction, properties with known hazards such as solid fuel stoves or thatched roofing, or if you simply don't feel confident assessing the risks yourself. Since February 2025, properties accommodating more than six guests are expected to have an annual professional assessment rather than a self-assessment.

2. Use a structured online tool

For most small holiday lets, this is the right route. You work through a guided assessment yourself — covering every area of the property — and the tool produces a compliant written record at the end. No site visit required, no waiting for a booking, and no £300 bill.

If you want to do this yourself properly, FRASafe has a specific holiday let assessment path. It's structured around the HMSO guidance "Making your small paying guest accommodation safe from fire," updated in January 2025. It walks you through each room and each risk category, asks the right questions, and generates a PDF you can keep on file, share with guests, or submit to your local authority as part of the 2026 registration process. Free to complete, £45 for the PDF.

3. DIY from scratch

Legally, you can write your own fire risk assessment without using any tool or hiring anyone. There's no requirement to use a specific format or system.

In practice, this is the riskiest option. An assessment that misses key hazards or fails to cover the areas required by HMSO guidance does not satisfy the legal standard — even if you spent hours writing it. A poorly documented assessment can also invalidate your property insurance if a fire occurs and your insurer determines the assessment was inadequate. Unless you have a fire safety background, DIY from scratch isn't worth the risk when a structured tool exists for £45.

Which route is right for you?

The honest answer depends on one thing: how many guests does your property sleep?

For properties sleeping up to six guests, an online self-assessment tool is the appropriate route for the vast majority of hosts. It's legal, it's structured around the relevant guidance, and it produces a written record that satisfies both the RRO 2005 requirement and the 2026 registration scheme's documentation expectations.

For properties sleeping more than six guests, or properties with features that make the risk picture more complex — multiple storeys, older buildings without mains-wired alarms, thatched properties, wood-burning stoves as a primary heat source — a professional on-site assessor is the more defensible choice. The annual professional assessment expectation for 6+ guest properties also means the cost becomes a recurring one to plan for.

If you're unsure which category your property falls into, err toward the professional. The cost difference is not large enough to be worth the uncertainty.

What the assessment must cover

Whether you use a professional, an online tool, or write it yourself, a valid fire risk assessment for a holiday let must address the following areas. This comes directly from the HMSO guidance for small paying guest accommodation:

• Sources of ignition: Cooking appliances, heating systems, electrical equipment, open fires, candles.
• Sources of fuel: Soft furnishings, bedding, curtains — all of which must comply with the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire Safety) Regulations 1988.
• People at risk: Guests are the key consideration. They're unfamiliar with the layout, may be sleeping deeply, and may not know where the exits are.
• Escape routes: Clear, unobstructed routes to final exits from every room. Exit doors openable without a key from the inside.
• Fire detection: Working smoke alarms on every floor, a heat alarm in the kitchen, and CO alarms where there are gas appliances or solid fuel stoves.
• Fire-fighting equipment: A suitable fire extinguisher and fire blanket, correctly sited and maintained.
• Fire action notice: Displayed prominently, explaining what guests should do if they discover a fire.
• Action plan: What you'll do to address any risks identified.

The assessment must be written down and kept under review. Review it annually as a minimum, and immediately after any significant change to the property — new layout, new appliances, major refurbishment.

A fuller breakdown of what each area involves is in The Complete Holiday Let Fire Risk Assessment Guide 2026.

The 2026 registration deadline

England's short-term let registration scheme is the most significant regulatory change for Airbnb hosts in years. Registrations opened in January 2026, and every host letting a property in England on a short-term basis must register with their local authority. Self-certification of fire safety compliance — including a documented fire risk assessment — is a condition of that registration.

Hosts who can't demonstrate compliance won't be able to register. Hosts who aren't registered won't be able to let legally. Fire and rescue services also have inspection powers over registered properties, which means the assessment needs to be genuine — not a tick-box exercise.

If you've been putting this off, the registration scheme is your deadline. There's no benefit to waiting. Our full guide to the 2026 STL registration scheme covers what hosts need to do and by when.

The bottom line

If your property sleeps six or fewer guests, the path is straightforward: complete an online assessment today. FRASafe's holiday let fire risk assessment walks you through every area required by HMSO guidance, specifically built for short-term lets. Complete it online in 30–45 minutes. Free to complete, £45 for the PDF — yours to keep, display in the property, and submit as part of the 2026 registration process.

If your property sleeps more than six guests, start finding a BAFE-registered assessor in your area. Get it booked before the registration window closes.

Either way, don't leave it. A fire risk assessment that doesn't exist is not a problem you can fix after the fact. Start your holiday let fire risk assessment here.